Where I Watched It: VOD from ITunes

Audio Description Provided By: Deluxe

Narrated By: Nicole Sansorella

I did pay for this one. it was one of those things I really wanted to see, and it was on ITunes for a 99 cent rental (which has since gone away), which felt like a fair price. Man, am I glad i did this one.

Massive Talent, as it sometimes gets shortened in commercials, is a very self aware, meta film about the state of Nicolas Cage’s career. A brilliant actor, who signs up for various films that don’t do well, and he’s financially in the dumps. That leads us to his agent offering him a gig where this rich guy (played by Pedro Pascal) is offering him a million just to show up at his birthday party. Pascal plays a super fan. He’s the biggest fan of Cage that ever was and ever will be. he also might be an international gun runner.

So, the FBI recruits Cage to help them catch this guy red handed as supposedly somewhere on his compound is a young girl that he kidnapped to help sway an election. This bothers Cage enough to participate since he’s having his own struggles with his daughter, and would do anything for her.

Whether or not you enjoy this film is entirely based on whether you are a fan of Cage to begin with. If you feel like he’s your guy, or you get the joke, than The unbearable Weight Of massive Talent will charm the hell out of you. It’s technically Cage playing himself, but he’s oh so good at it. He knows the joke, he gets it, and this film references so many of his past works. When they start talking about Guarding Tess, I knew this was a film for real Cage acolytes.

It’s not just Cage that shines here, it’s Pedro Pascal, who i had no idea could be this funny. His adoration for Cage is prevalent in every sequence. he’s just so happy to be there. To have this man in his home. There’s nothing weird or sexual about it, he has just worshipped this man’s body of work for years, and now he’s right there. you can’t beat that.

The film does have some nice twists in it to keep you guessing. I think, overall, the audio description here does a good job of balancing the comedic and action portions. My only question for Nicole’s narration is whether or not a ton of Cage references were left on the floor. I caught a lot of them, as many happen in one room, but it’s possible there were more posters and props throughout the film. I felt like several movies were mentioned and referenced, quite obviously, but if you told me this film managed to throw in every Nic Cage film, I’d call you a liar. And that’s the rub. Since I can’t see, I just have to assume, not every film was referenced. Was anyone really looking for a reference to Next/ or Knowing?

This immediately became one of my favorite films of the year, much like Everything Everywhere All At Once, because it did something unique and it did it in a fun way that made me instantly believe I’d be watching this again at some point. It might not get Cage another Oscar nomination, but The unbearable Weight Of massive Talent is pure gold for his career. it just might knock your face off.

Final Grade: A